1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shifter cable assembly having an interlock device integral therewith, and more specifically, to an adjustment assembly which ensures proper operation of the interlock device following installation of the cable assembly into the vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Interlock devices are incorporated into vehicle control mechanisms to prevent the transmission from being shifted out of the park position unless the brake pedal is depressed. Typically, the cable assembly includes a conduit with a core element movably disposed therein. One end of the core element is secured to the transmission and the other end of the core element is secured to the shifter, such as a column shift lever. The column shift lever transmits movement to the transmission through the core element. One type of interlock device operates by engaging an element associated with the core element to prevent its movement unless the brake pedal is depressed. This is achieved by utilizing a solenoid that is actuated by a brake pedal signal. It is desirable to provide an interlock device that is integral with the cable assembly to reduce the number of components required for the interlock system. To this end, interlock devices have been developed that are integral with the cable assembly and which utilize a pin transverse to an aperture associated with the core element. The pin engages the aperture to prevent its movement. Once such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,818 issued on Jul. 15, 1997 to Moody.
The alignment of the pin and aperture is critical to ensure proper operation of the interlock device. During installation of the cable assembly into the vehicle, the core element must be moved within the conduit to connect the ends of the cable assembly to their respective shifter components. As a result, the position of the aperture may change slightly with respect to the pin and cause the interlock device to operate improperly. Other interlock devices that are non-integral with the cable assembly do not present this alignment problem because the brackets that are used to support the components may align the features. Therefore, what is needed is an adjustment assembly to ensure proper operation of the integral shifter cable interlock after installation of the cable assembly into the vehicle.
The present invention provides a cable assembly having a conduit defining an axis. A core element is disposed within the conduit and is movable along the axis. A terminal assembly is secured to a portion of the core element and has an end connector. An interlock device is disposed adjacent the terminal assembly and is movable between a release position allowing relative movement between the terminal assembly and the interlock device and an engaged position preventing the relative movement between the terminal assembly and the interlock device. A base portion extends from the interlock device. An adjustment housing is at least partially disposed about the base portion for selectively allowing axial adjustment of the base portion and the interlock device relative to the adjustment housing to tension the core element. A movable lock is slideably supported by the adjustment housing and movable between an engaged position interconnecting the adjustment housing to the base portion to define a fixed position of the interlock device relative to the adjustment housing, and a disengaged position allowing relative movement between the adjustment housing and the base portion for providing the axial adjustment and the tensioning of the core element an adjustment assembly for an integral shifter cable interlock.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a cable assembly that includes both an interlock device used in automatic transmissions and an adjustment device for adjusting the tension in the cable. This combination of features is particularly advantageous in that the interlock device and adjustment device are mounted to a common cable assembly.